Blossoming Azure Skies
by Aes1r
Summary: Azur Lane was being pushed back by the Sirens. In a desperate attempt to gain a trump card, the four nations lent their powers to create an ultimate weapon codenamed, Project Azure. A year later, a young man by the name of Sakamoto Ryoma will try to grasp the future with his own hands as he tries to save the nations that gave him his life and unwavering ideals.


In an empty void, a cube formed.

_A swirl of energy pulsated._

An object that should've been filled with seemingly endless azure energy, was now devoid of activity, motion or otherwise.

_A blank slate, ready to be imprinted upon._

A second passed by.

Another pulse of energy, this time a bit more forceful, shot towards the grey cube, as if eager for the seemingly useless object.

With its emergence, three more came forth from the depths of the abyss, each pulsing in their respective vibrant colours, and painted the black space a canvas of vibrant colours.

Each and every one of the now distinctly-shaped energy radiates an obscene amount of power to the point of almost being viewable by the naked human eye.

The first, which took the lead, and the one shining with the most light, was shaped like a cherry blossom flower. Far more corporeal than the others, it shined the brightest among everything present, dying everything with a pink hue without care for anything else.

_A sakura blossom of gentle windy caresses, yet filled with a stalwart shine that refuses to bow down to any other._

Though the sakura petal-shaped energy's brilliance seemed to shine the brightest amongst its peers, the trio of energy that formed after were no less brilliant, being only dimmer due to their slightly inferior compatibility with the seemingly inactive floating cube.

Floating directly opposite to the right of the brilliant sakura flower was a golden crown that radiates an aura of nobility and regality just by existing. Though it lost in brilliance compared to the pink energy, it was no less glorious. Drawing in attention just by virtue of presence, it exudes an elegant feeling that even the sakura-shaped energy could not match up to.

_A grand symphony of almost arrogant elegant nobility, yet nonetheless filled with a devoted light that shines the brightest when serving a worthy chosen._

Seemingly not wanting to lose the pseudo-competition, two bright silver wings with countless energy-made feathers flew directly below the crown leaving a trail of white feathers that somehow kept on reforming on the aforementioned wing. As if emphasising its shape, the wings constantly spread flapped around on its chosen spot as it exudes limitless energy that projected a confident image of a warm embrace that seems to accept anything, regardless of any factors.

_An embrace of feathers as brilliant white wings spread their light to everyone, yet filled with a determination that promises to protect all that matters._

And finally, the blazing crimson hue took the shape of a crimson cross, positioned below the sakura flower. Different from the others, it radiated a coldness that would've pricked the skin of any human observer, regardless of whether or not they meant harm or not. Yet, just like its peers, the cross gave off a feeling of a home full of warmth and camaraderie as it gave off a feeling akin to a stalwart shield against the common enemy.

_A crimson star that leads by example with orderly fashion, yet promising a warm embrace of kinship with an unbreakable chain of loyalty._

Four vastly different energies that should've resulted in a clash for dominance or a complete breakdown of both the space and the energy residing within.

…Yet they all seemed to harmonise with each other effortlessly, covering the previously dull grey cube with a rainbow of unwavering pride, unbreakable loyalty, unrestrained determination, unfaltering devotion and most importantly, a blossoming hope for the future.

And as the energies finished stabilising their existence in conjunction with the cube, a nervous yet clearly excited voice rang out.

"…Phase One is a complete success, I can't believe it… Heh, one more step! Just one more… and we will finally have a fighting chance! Those goddamned Sirens won't know what hit them… Start with the Final Phase! Be careful with the input, and…"

As the voice continued giving commands, the previous black space suddenly started to glow. Though it was slow, more and and more spots of energy started to materialise all around the previously thought to be black void and with it, illuminating the faces of men in white lab coats running back and forth between advanced-looking machines.

* * *

As everything was happening outside the cube, something stirred.

The previously inactive cube was starting to glow as it slowly absorbed the abundant energy supplied. And within the construct, a consciousness was being woken up as each sliver of energy seems to power as a fuel source for the now shining cube as its very centre seem to be forming a vortex of energy to better absorb the remaining sources of energy.

Each trickle of the azure substance seems to provide a boost to the being's awareness as it greedily sucked in the energy provided.

* * *

"-Don't worry about the increase in consumption, just slowly trickle it in! Dial tubes one to three back to 5%! Steadily increase the input of energy to 50% and make sure to-" The commanding voice seemed to belong to a young-looking man whose eyes looked like they were closed and were encased in square glasses that had strings at the end to prevent them from falling off. The white-haired man also wore a black shirt while wearing a red hakama that seems to serve as direct contrasts to the other men in white in addition to looking far younger than the rest of the scientists, further highlighting the man's likely importance to whatever is happening.

"We are entering the final process, none of you should be distracted! One mishap and we'll be the one responsible for humanity's extinction!" The green-clad man said as he stood on a platform in front of a giant tube containing the glowing cube.

"C'mon, we are so close now…" He mumbled as he stared intently at the giant construct.

With even more energy steadily trickling in, the being in the cube grew even more self-aware as it continued absorbing the free meal. Despite not knowing what is happening, nor having enough mental capacity to think on it, the being began to squirm around.

Instinctually, it reacted to the idle unique energies that had been hanging back during the course of its awakening with an almost maniacal want.

Using its non-existent finger, it reached out to the unique energy signatures and-

"Start it now! Its already reacting to the unique energies! Begin converging now or we will risk a violent breakdown!" The slit-eyed man shouted out while breaking down in cold sweat. It wasn't supposed to react that fast but he can't fail here, his scientist pride won't allow it. Not to mention how wasting the four nation's contributions would lead to another petty war. _And that's why-_

"Lock the cube down! Increase the convergence process to 100%! It's all in or all out gentlemen and I don't think we can afford to not go all out!" He all but yelled at his crew as they frantically followed his instructions.

All the while, the cube started struggling violently as cracks began to appear on the glass containing it within. The man stood valiantly in front of the cracking glass, looking calm while panicking internally as he put all of his faith in this one moment.

_I'll do this if even it takes my life, it's a cheap price for humanity! Besides, we don't have any other option… *sigh* here goes nothing. Overtime pay would be nice by now, heh._

"It's been fun gentlemen, I'll see you on the other side!" He joked shakily, trying to put on a brave front. God knows how terrified he is, not to mention his young age, he hadn't been able to accomplish anything he wanted to no thanks to the blasted Sirens. So if his sacrifice can help flip off those bastards then he have no qualms about it!

He inputted the code required on his panel before a huge button that was labelled 'Converge' popped out of his holographic platform.

_Heh, how cliche, if I somehow make it out of this, I am definitely punching the programmer._

"Here goes nothing!" With a final yell filled with his courage, the man known as Paylor Sakaki pushed down the button with all of his might.

* * *

It was both painful and warm.

Those energies, they sang to it. An attraction akin to a moth drawn to the dim light of fire, yet all the more compelling due to their distinctive brilliance.

It, no, _he_ wanted it. The first thing in his newborn life that made him felt a warmth like no other.

**The sakura flower sang him a song of gentle comfort and pride.**

**The gold crown taught him the elegance and nobility of life.**

**The silver wings showed him a world of freedom and equality.**

**The crimson cross told him of a home of warmth and order.**

His teachers, his benefactors, his parents… the lessons that moulded his beliefs. That which was a byproduct of combining with 4 unique energies that was made on a gamble of a desperate species, ironically, gave birth to one of the most compassionate humane being alive.

Though the process was painful, the constant warmth all four energies granted gave him a second wind, and a third, then a fourth, after the fifth came the sixth…

Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat. Pain. Warm. Repeat. Pain. Warm. Repeat…

A cycle of vicious rebirth, with the constant warmth numbing the mind-breaking pain. It breaks him. Then it moulded him. Then it broke him again. Repeat the cycle once more. Once more. And more, more, more, more, more…

* * *

Paylor Sakaki was a patient man but even this was grating his nerves.

After pushing the button, everything stopped. Not the stop as in the machine shut down but stop as in everything went still. Which, if he knew his science right(and he definitely did thank you very much), was never a good thing when a machine stilled. In his personal experience, whenever something mechanical stopped, it was a pre-cursor to an explo-

Before he managed to even finished his thoughts, the cube suddenly took on a bright shine once more. Feeling that nothing happened, Sakaki removed his hands from his face and look up in awe at the myriad of colours of the rainbow, all shimmering from the cube which now floated up and down slightly.

"I… we… did it?" He questioned in disbelief.

_I mean, it's missing the fundamental part but that can be worked out later. At least we got the co-_

Again, his intuition warned him of another explosion, but before he could make any sort of preparation, the rainbow cube shifted rapidly before exploding in a flash of light and Sakaki became very intimate with the concept known as blindness.

* * *

_Suddenly, he felt whole._

His senses were distorted, his balance was off, and he can't remember anything, save for the four principles that were ingrained into his being. If he's feeling the breeze right, he is also currently naked and wet, as if he just took the longest shower and accidentally drown, before waking up again. Well, not really, but it was close.

Overall, a great way to wake up.

_Aside from confirming the fact that I have a terrible sense of humour, where… am I?_

He opened his eyes and tried to observe but all that accomplished was giving him even more questions. Not only is he in some kind of dark room but it looked like an explosion went off, evident with the messy papers still fluttering about and _who are those people in white coat? Who is that white-haired man?_

* * *

_Well that's one way to come into existence, I suppose._

He wasn't really pleased with being blinded but he'll take it over dying in an explosion. Noticing that some of his staffs were still cowering, he clicked his tongue before giving out some instructions. He has a newborn to take care of and he doesn't want to deal with anything else now that his project is successful.

He did it, Humanity finally can tip the scales in their favour for once.

Making sure to look proper while dusting off his custom lab uniform/kimono, Sakaki coughed once to get the newborn's attention before giving him a genuinely elated smile that hasn't appeared for a long time now.

"Welcome to the world, Project Azure."

* * *

**_1 Year Later_**

"Are you sure about this, Commander?"

Walking on a cherry blossom-filled road, two distinctive figures conversed, casting two equally unique shadows from the morning sun hanging overhead the azure skies.

"I am not sure about a lot of things, you have to elaborate a bit more than that. Like what I am eating for dinner and wondering if Taihou or Akagi would jump me tonight. Maybe both, like I said, I am not sure." The male figure said.

The female, clearly used to his eccentric nature, only gave a fond sigh before flicking him in the forehead, prompting an exaggerated 'ouch' from the male. The girl only rolled his eyes before elaborating, though she's sure he's just teasing her, she might as well get to the point.

"You know what I mean. I am pretty sure everyone in the base knows as well. You already have everyone, why do you need build a new shipgirl? " She looked straight into his eyes as she asked, wanting no lie. Considering the situation every shipgirl that involved themselves with him ended up in, it's a valid question.

The male figure, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at first. But he only gave a small shake of his head and gave her his own fond smile, knowing that she's just worried about him like always. Not that he can blame her, he was rather emotional when he first started this whole commanding business so every new girl felt like another treasure he had to carefully protect, despite them being able to take care of themselves. Ironically, it made him popular at first, but only when the truth came out did the girls started to genuinely fall for him.

Snapping out of his reminiscence, he's reminded that he hadn't answered her question by her terrifying smile. He noted for what seemed like the hundredth time that the foxgirl in front of him does not like to be ignored when she's being concerned. Only when her smile became even wider did he remember that he still hasn't answered her yet.

"Sorry, I was just remembering, y'know, about last year." He gave a sheepish smile, accompanied by a rub of his neck. A nervous tick that stuck with him from his past.

The brown-haired foxgirl's terrifying smile changed into an encouraging one, her motherly(or is it sisterly?) instincts taking over.

A silence passed before she looked over at him again, with a look only a pair of intimate lovers can imitate. That look, which expressed both annoyance and concern, covered by a thick intent of love. He knew what it meant, it was thanks to the ordeals they went through that they both developed their relationship to this extent, after all. A look that asked a question that she doesn't expect an answer to, only showing unwavering support.

He smiled, and wondered how he ended up with amazing girls like her, before answering truthfully. He had nothing to hide. After all, they were the one who taught him his beliefs and values.

"I just want to give them a chance to be happy." A simple statement, along with a genuinely happy smile.

His beliefs, his values, his person at his core… They were all a combination from his beloved shipgirls, so if he could save just another life that he owed, whether or not it's directly or indirectly, then he would be happy.

Because his precious people are happy, therefore, he is happy.

Simple logic that would dictate a child's mind. The girl supposes she shouldn't really expect anything else, it would be unfair since he's technically only 1 year old after all. However, she didn't admonish him, rather, she too showed a genuine smile. For them, he was their light, just like they were for him. A cycle that aims to give the world colour once more, dying the seas a brilliant azure, rather than the ashen grey that they were all used to.

It would be hard, they all told him so. Yet in the end, he broke through their expectations and fought to make it a reality, no matter how impossible it is.

He smiled, dipping his white fedora slightly. "I'll see you then, Amagi." He said, before giving her a quick peck on her lips and waved her goodbye as he walked away and turned a corner.

She stood still, dazed by the sudden affectionate action, still staring at that corner. That's right, she shouldn't question him, rather she should always make sure to be by his side no matter what. Not matter what comes… Yes, this is fine, as long as they have him, nothing will ever go wrong.

"I'll make sure of it, no matter what."

Amagi quietly decided, before she too walked away to find her sisters, but not before patting her cheeks to calm her blush.

Nearby, the male figure from earlier chuckled behind the corner. He looked up to the skies before walking to his destination, now with a full-blown smile on his face.

* * *

"I can never get used to the flashing."

…Was what she heard first. A male voice, one that somehow sounded smooth yet had a baritone underline that resulted in a pleasing combination that sounded charming yet youthful.

This must be her Commander, her new lord to serve. The idea somehow sounded more pleasant in her head despite not having met him yet. It must be the voice, a technique perhaps?

"I am not sure whether or not to take that as an insult, Commander." A female voice sounded out this time. She had pleasant voice reminiscent of the cool spring breeze, though she herself had been in the company of similar equally pleasant voices so she wasn't caught off-guard again.

"Oh? You can't possibly think I would insult you!" The presumed-to-be Commander replied in an obviously fake manner, completely relaxed yet a hint of eagerness, she noted. This meant that the two individuals present were close enough to trade banter without heat. She wondered if this means she also has a mistress, if so, she had to be careful with her words.

She waited for the smoke caused from her construction to go away so that she can have a visual on her presumed master. During this, the banter still hadn't stopped which lead to her thinking that she might've been forgotten about. That in itself is fine, she doesn't have a desire to nor does her role fit into that type of position.

So she waited.

All the while the banter was heating up in the background, some kind of discussion about a woman's beauty. Perhaps her new mistress was touchy on the subject of beauty? Though that brings the question of why the Commander brought a civilian into a military base. Maybe they were that much in love with each other? She decides to rest her hypotheses until they have more evidence.

So she waited.

At this point, while she herself likes to think of herself as the perfect image of patience, no one likes being ignored. Especially when this darned smoke somehow is still here, denying her the privilege of seeing the Commander. Perhaps the admittedly infectious laughter of the Commander is echoing throughout the building with a symphony of giggles accompanying him.

Just when she had enough and was about to voice her minor displeasure, she was frozen half-way through. Not because she was nervous. No, what stopped her was the fact that the one in a clearly modified Navy uniform, her new Commander, was flanked by a small stadium-worth of ship girls sitting on the observer platform, clearly here to see her appearance. Not only that, she also identified all of her fellow Royal Navy ship girls being present, including Her Majesty.

At this point, Belfast wanted to cry but she was the Head Maid, so she quickly turned her eyes towards the Commander and the woman besides him in an attempt to calm down. This soon proved to be her worst decision as she was met with a handsome face that perfectly fitted his attire, despite being an obviously improper edit to a uniform.

Long silky, yet somewhat spiky black hair covered by a white fedora with a blue outline at the base framed a charming face that could be called a pretty boy, yet was balanced with the perfect amount of ruggedness, giving the white-clad Commander a paradoxic beauty and manliness that kept drawing her attention. His long hair was tied up into a low ponytail that reaches his upper back, while his bangs half-covered his _blue kind eyes. _

Though she had met people with blue eyes before, none had the extreme clarity that this Commander had. Two pure azure gem that radiates charisma and kindness in spades, somehow even when he's not looking at her, she was charmed just by virtue of their existence. Not to mention how it perfectly complements his likewise kind face.

Belfast also only noticed how perfect the Commander's attire was after she snapped out of her trance. A typical White Navy Uniform at first glance, yet when he faces forward, she can clearly see the difference. Not only is his outer uniform unbuttoned on the top and bottom, having only buttoned up in the middle, his dress shirt that was under the uniform was also flowing freely instead of the usual tucked-in look that many Navy officials were required to follow.

His Navy Uniform seems to also be modified as it extended down to his lower leg, giving him a lower leg cloak that covered both his sides, with addition to his sleeves seemingly having a wider end, emulating one of those kimonos she had heard about in passing. Thankfully he wore a normal practical black pants that went well with the rest of the attire. Not only that, he also sported a red scarf that had scales like pattern looped around his neck with the ends facing the back.

Overall, his entire get-up was a clear violation of the rules, yet Belfast couldn't think of any better way to dress him properly without reducing his charm despite her experience as the Head Maid of the notoriously picky Royal Family.

The woman on his left, however, was one Belfast recognises quite quickly. Amagi, the supposed deceased battleship of the Sakura Empire. Though that doesn't quite warrant shock as she knew that the Wisdom Cubes were more than capable of reviving shipgirls. What had her surprised was the obvious love the woman had for the Commander, Belfast can clearly see that in her eyes. Last she heard, Amagi only had sisterly love for her sisters, Akagi and Kaga, yet here she is now, a lovestruck girl.

In fact, almost all of the shipgirls present had the same… look…

_Wait, could he be a… playboy!?_

Belfast, for the first time in a long time, lost her composure and began to back up into the ship construction area as cold sweat ran down her back because he does look like one. It was only her misfortune that her heels managed to clash with the steel of the platform below, causing everyone, including that playboy Commander to turn towards her.

The moment he did however, he gave a very happy smile that induced some questionable feelings in her stomach despite her current thoughts. He slowly walked towards her as she froze from the sudden attention, not helped by her halfway going into a stroke as she pondered if her chastity was in danger.

The Commander stopped just in front of her, as those _azure eyes _peered down towards her(as she had noticed by now that he was actually rather tall), those surprisingly broad shoulders seem to completely cover her from the outside world, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Welcome Belfast, to Azur Lane HQ." He spoke slowly, his underlining baritone bass combined with his smooth natural voice gave a not entirely unwanted chill down her spine and into her-

Face flushed slightly red, and thanks to her experience in controlling her emotions, Belfast managed to composed herself just in time to introduce herself finally.

"Greetings Commander, thank you for your… welcome…." As she was halfway through her words, she notice how one end of his scarf was floating up somehow and as curiosity took over, she took a quick look upwards.

_And magenta-red reptilian eyes stared back._

Which resulted in her stopping her greetings halfway through. The red eyes moved back to show their owner, _a floating girl with long black hair wearing a black sailor uniform _and a red scarf that wrapped around her neck, connecting herself with the Commander though the piece of clothing.

The Commander, noticing Belfast's gaze, looked up at the floating girl before giving a sheepish smile and _introduced her to the floating girl._

"Ah sorry, this is Oryou-san, she doesn't show herself a lot in public so she might just be curious about you." He stated while introducing a _ghost_ casually. The blank-faced ghost gave the maid a peace sign in return.

Belfast's face, which was already rapidly paling due to not being able to compute with the situation, somehow miraculously had enough mental strength to remember that Oryou was the name of a famous mythical Japanese serpent that stuck around a certain human… _which means-_

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet." The oblivious Commander casually talked on as the _ghost_ circled around them.

"My name is Sakamoto Ryoma, nice to meet you, Belfast!" The now-named Ryouma gave the Head Maid of the Royal Navy a brilliant smile that he hoped radiated friendliness.

Belfast looked between Ryoma and Oryou-san twice before giving a weak smile and fainting.

"What… Why does everyone I meet have the same reaction!?" Cried the white-clad Commander as his shipgirls snickered in the background, already expecting this result.

…After all, it happened to all of them when they first met him as well.

Amagi watches on as the Royal Navy shipgirls carried the unconscious Belfast towards the medical bay with Ryoma wondering why he can't ever make a simple introduction, oblivious to the fact that he had a legendary creature of myth chained to him.

She gave a fond sigh as a smile slowly spread out on her face. That's right, the brutal battles last year were all for this peace, where she could smile with her sisters and falling in love with someone.

She would fight tooth to nail to protect it. This ruined world being painted a new azure, a bright beacon for all. As the cherry blossoms danced throughout the night sky, the figure of her lover seemed to shined bright amongst everyone else.

Yes, she would fight until the bitter end but for now, she would remain by his side as he denied the world of its cruelties. And as she leaves with Akagi and Kaga, Amagi hopes…

….The azure sky can blossom once more above the bloodied seas.

* * *

**Yay, author's note!**

**Okay, no. This isn't a replacement for Fated Utopia. I was simply in an Azur Lane mood and found out that the amount of romantic fanfics, much less harem, were severely lacking. I mean there were a bunch of smut by one guy but I am looking for something long term, y'know. An Unsung Legend by LordAzian is pretty much what I am looking for and I hope he keeps up the good work.**

**But too bad there's only one of its kind so here I am with my own attempt at an Azur Lane fanfic. This is just a side project so don't expect it to update consistently or whatever, my main focus is still Fated Utopia, whose chapter 3 should come out the day after tomorrow. I think this is of a much lower quality than my writing standards but since I just got back from a trip and can't really think straight, this is the best you're gonna get unfortunately.**

**I recognise that this might not be very good and can be boring but I hope people can give feedback on it nonetheless. I might not focus on this but I still very much want to continue writing it so it'll occasionally update. Think of this as a side-story to Fate Utopia when Azur Lane shows up there.**

**Few things to point out:**

**1\. Yes, my MC is an OC based on Sakamoto Ryoma from FGO. His outfit is completely thought up by me. Just imagine Ryoma's uniform unbuttoned like I described and has big sleeves with the shirt extending down to a lower-body cloak.**

**2\. This is a harem. With all of them. Okay, well, not all of them, just the ones I like. I dunno much about Azur Lane character story-wise so I'll hafta improvise sometimes but they shouldn't feel _too _OOC.**

**3\. I am trying to be purposefully vague in regards to my OC's birth and stuff since the next chapter would probably continue from where Sakaki left of as I detail his adventures in the fabled "last year" that Amagi kept mentioning this chapter. Also yes, Paylor Sakaki from God Eater. I am aware that my design is when he is old but who cares, I like the guy and his design is far more unique than "a black-haired man wearing a lab coat".**

**That's all for now, if you want to see more, leave feedback. I don't really care about favs or follows but I definitely do need a lot of feedback.**

**Edit: Changed 'Admiral' to 'Commander' since Azur Lane calls the player that. I thought it was like Kancolle where they call you Admiral but yeah, whoops lol. 7th of February, 2020**


End file.
